


Category Z: Miyagi

by CosplayAdventures



Series: Z-Series [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Gore, I’ll tag more as I go, Kageyama gets adopted by two idiots, M/M, Panic Attacks, Slow Burn, Violence, Zombies, but they’re not the stereotypical style zombies, they’re kinda smart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:33:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26703004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosplayAdventures/pseuds/CosplayAdventures
Summary: New Message from: Hinata BokeH: Hey Hey! Have you seen the news?!Kageyama pulled out his phone to squint at the message he received. With a heavy sigh, Kageyama reluctantly removed his gloves to type a quick reply.To Hinata Boke:K: No.From Hinata Boke:H: Its crazy! Theres a bunch of people eating people! Like eating eating…H: The news is saying that its some kind of virus thats controlling them smhH: we’re supposed to stay in doors
Relationships: Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei, Kageyama Tobio & Matsukawa Issei & Hanamaki Takahiro, Kageyama Tobio/Oikawa Tooru, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Series: Z-Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1943233
Comments: 15
Kudos: 131





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally this was going to be a one shot, but it got super long and out of control. Soooo this story is going to be broken down into 5 chapters. Hope you guys like it, I tried really hard to make sure this story turned out well.
> 
> Plus, nekosama09 paid me $5 to make it....ahem. Hope you like it!

**New Message from: Hinata Boke**

**H: Hey Hey! Have you seen the news?!**

Kageyama pulled out his phone to squint at the message he received. With a heavy sigh, Kageyama reluctantly removed his gloves to type a quick reply. 

**To Hinata Boke:**

**K: No.**

**H: Its crazy! Theres a bunch of people eating people! Like eating eating…**

**H: The news is saying that its some kind of virus thats controlling them smh**

**H: were supposed to stay in doors**

Kageyama raised his eyebrows at the slew of new information. He was a bit skeptical about that information since he didn’t get any alerts on his phone. He might not be the only one. Kageyama glanced around the train, observing a few females grouped up in the corner giggling at each other and some kid across from them playing on his phone with a elderly woman beside him. Kageyama pursed his lips at the annoying giggling before turning his attention to the right towards two familiar boys playing...Kageyama squinted. Are those uno cards? Kageyama blinked. 

A vibration from his phone brought him back to Hinata’s messages.

**New Message from Hinata Boke:**

**H: _Video link_**

**H: do u see this?!**

**H: this guy just attacked some girl outside!**

**H: Nishinoya sent that video. He said that was outside his window, and he was going to help her**

**K: What can he do?**

**H: >.>**

**H: Noya is super strong! Besides Tanaka-sempai is with him!**

Kageyama scoffed. The guy on the video was large in size and height. He honestly doubted that Nishinoya could do anything. With Tanaka there then there might be a chance, but he doesn’t think they will come out unscratched. Is he a little worried? Yeah but it’s not like he’s close by to help. Kageyama sighed as his phone vibrated two more times, signaling new messages. He skimmed over the names to see who it was from and blinked in surprise when he noticed it wasn’t Hinata.

**New Message from: Sugawara**

**New Message from: Akaashi**

Kageyama clicked onto the message Akaashi sent first since he rarely messaged him unless it was about volleyball or how he was doing.

**From Akaashi:**

**A: Do not leave your home and keep an eye on the news.**

**K: I’m not home.**

A few minutes went by with no reply from Akaashi, so Kageyama moved his focus to Sugawara’s message.

**New Message from Sugawara:**

**S: Kageyama!**

**S: Are you still shopping for your volleyball gear?**

**S: How close are you to your home??**

**K: I’m on the train. I’ll be home in 10 minutes I think**

**S: omg**

**S: Whatever you do stay away from anyone acting suspicious or coughing**

**S: If you can then stay away from crowds as well**

**S: Get home as soon as you can and lock all your doors and windows.**

**S: Don’t let anyone in and stay silent at all times**

Kageyama stared at his phone blankly. All this information hasn’t really sunk in yet, and he’s baffled about all the messages he’s been receiving from people.

**To Sugawara:**

**K: Where are u?**

**S: I’m at Daichi’s house with Asahi and Kiyoko.**

**S: We were studying until we heard the news**

**S: Have you heard anything from Nishinoya, Tanaka or Narita?**

**S: They haven’t replied to my messages since this morning…**

**K: Hinata said something about Tanaka being with Nishinoya**

**K: I don’t know about Narita tho**

Kageyama leaned back against his seat with a sigh, rubbing his eye. He’s not sure how to feel about everything yet. Maybe it’s not as bad as everyone is making it out to seem since no one is freaking out around him? 

The train began to slow as it got closer to his stop, so Kageyama put his phone away to grab his bag and stand. He nearly jumped when he turned to see the two guys from earlier stare in his direction with matching smirks. What? Do they recognize him too? The one with light hair waved his hand as the two walked towards him, “Oho? If it isn’t the baby crow.”

Kageyama’s lips twisted into a frown. Baby crow? Who are they calling a baby?

“Woah, no need to give us such a scary glare” The one with dark hair chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. “We’ve met during a match against Karasuno. We’re from Aoba Johsai.” Kageyama cringed. He knew they were familiar.   
  
“My name is Mattsukawa,” The dark haired one gestured towards himself before pointing a thumb towards his light haired companion. “This is Hanamakki.” Hanamakki gave Kageyama a peace sign, “Yo.”

“Ah…” Kageyama wasn’t sure how he should respond. They seem to already know him so should he even give his name? Should he say hi? Mattsukawa interrupted his thoughts when he chuckled again. “Not much of a talker, huh? That’s fine.” Mattsukawa shrugged. Kageyama clenched his bag harder, feeling awkward at the silence that came after Mattsukawa’s comment. He glanced around, noticing the 4 girls from earlier rising to head towards the exit where he was standing. One of them was coughing and she seemed a little pale compared to earlier. 

Goosebumps rose on his skin as a bad feeling fell into the pit of his stomach. Kageyama shuffled out of the girl's way, steering clear from the girl that was coughing as he remembered what Sugawara told him. The doors of the train opened at his stop and the group began to exit. Kageyama didn’t let his eyes leave the girl who was coughing, so he didn’t miss the way she began to twitch uncontrollably. The other three girls surrounded the coughing one, questioning her behavior with concern. 

Kageyama moved to the side, letting the elderly lady from before guide the child out of the train towards the group of girls. “My...is she sick? Maybe we should take her to the hospital.” A girl with brunette hair stared nervously at her friend unsure what to do. The other two, they seemed to be twins if Kageyama had to guess, were holding their fourth friend up. Blonde hair was covering her face so it was a bit hard to tell, but...Kageyama squinted, the blonde looked a little like she had black veins? He wasn’t sure if that made sense or if he was just seeing things.

The blonde slumped in the twins grasp and everyone became quiet. Kageyama felt a cold sweat dampen his skin creating a chill to travel down his spine. He didn’t like this feeling. The brunette stepped in front of her friend leaning down to get a better look at the blonde. “Rika…?” The blonde, Rika, twitched before raising her head slowly. 

Kageyama paled while everyone let out a gasp. Rika’s eyes were bloodshot while her black veins bulged under her near translucent skin. It was a gruesome sight. Kageyama shifted away from the group, deciding that he had enough sticking around. He noticed Hanamaki and Mattsukawa hadn't left his side, so it didn’t take long for them to catch on to what he was planning and follow his lead. As soon as Kageyama moved, Rika twisted out of the twins grip with an inhuman cry pouncing onto the brunette in front of her. The brunette let out a terrified shriek before gurgling as Rika sunk her teeth into her throat. 

Kageyama felt bile rise in his throat at the sight. Is she...is she eating her friend? Kageyama felt as if his feet were glued to the ground as he watched that rika girl practically devouring her friend. The brunette’s eyes were wide open in an expression mixed between surprise and fear while her head was hanging back. There was blood splattered near her chin and cheeks, with some blood running from her mouth and nose. It felt like she was staring right into his soul. The twin were attempting to pull Rika off while the elderly covered the other kids eyes from the scene. 

It felt like a movie almost.

At one moment, people were standing and staring at the scene before them. The next moment, everyone was screaming and running around. Kageyama forced himself to look around the station to see that Rika apparently wasn’t the only one infected by this virus. There was a man in a suit who was biting into the leg of some random women. The woman was shrieking, flailing her arms around her as if that would make the man let her go. Not too far behind them, an infected child pounced onto a woman who appeared to be pregnant. It didn’t take long for the station to become a blood bath.

Groaning brought his attention in front of him. The brunette was left on the ground and one of the twins appeared to have a huge chunk of skin missing on her shoulder. The other twin was missing along with the child. Rika was crouched over the old lady on the ground. Kageyama flinched at the sight of the elderly. She had tears in her eyes with her hand reaching out towards him. “Help...me…!” Foam and blood bubbled up in her mouth. He could see the black veins beginning to protrude against her skin. 

“We need to leave.” Kageyama whipped his head to face Matsukawa. He had a grim look on his face. If Kageyama looked more closely, he could nearly see the tremble on his shoulders. Beside him, Hanamakki was hunched over heaving. There was vomit on the ground by his feet and the stench of it made him want to gag. He gave a jerky nod before glancing back at the group that started this madness. He regretted it immediately.

Rika’s blood shot eyes were looking directly at him.


	2. Chapter 2

_Rika’s blood shot eyes were looking directly at him._

Kageyama jerked back in shock while Matsukawa swore. “Let’s get out of here!” At Matsukawa's words, Kageyama began moving. He could hear the pounding of feet behind him as Hanamakki ran. Matsukawa and Hanamakki were surprisingly fast since they were already a few steps ahead of him, but Kageyama refused to get left behind. Not with that thing behind him.

Rika, or whatever that thing is now, let out a snarl as it sped towards them. Kageyama swore under his breath at her speed, heart pounding against his rib cage as adrenaline washed over him. 

Kageyama felt as if his breath was knocked out of him when he stepped onto something wet and soft. He could hear the squelch as it gave way to his weight causing him to stumble forward. Kageyama bent his arms to shield his face and rolled roughly across the ground. The cement scrapped against his skin leaving a stinging ache in its wake. Kageyama raised his head sharply to glance back at Rika only to see her already jumping his way.

It felt like time slowed as she drew closer with a feral snarl on her face. Kageyama’s eyes widen, terror shooting across his very being. Images of what Rika did to the brunette, twin, and elderly flashed through his mind. Was he going to turn out the same way? Eaten alive just because he tripped over what remained of a corpse?

He didn’t want to die.

Kageyama drew his hands into fists, body tense in order to fend for his life. Before he could really do anything though, a hand sprung out behind Rika to grab at her hair. Rika was roughly pulled back onto the ground by...Kageyama’s jaw dropped. Was that the twin from earlier? The twin let out an inhuman snarl, bloodshot eyes moving to look back at Kageyama. Kageyama stumbled to his feet, wincing at the twinge of pain at his ankle. So the twin was infected after all. 

Rika grabbed the twin’s foot and bit into it aggressively, tearing out skin and muscle. The twin didn’t react much beside kicking at Rika’s head. Her head crunched under the twins foot surprisingly easily. Rika stayed down. Kageyama shuddered at the view. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he could guess at one thing. The infected don’t work together.

The twin turned bloodshot eyes in his direction and leaped at him with a shrill screech. Kageyama felt something cold and smooth brush his fingertips. Without thinking, he gripped the cold object and swung. The twin’s face twisted to the right with a disgusting pop as she crumbled to the ground. Kageyama stumbled back to his feet glancing down at what he had used to fight off the twin; it was a metal bat. He’s guessing it belonged to the kid he tripped over earlier based off the baseball league symbol of his tracksuit.

Kageyama breathed deeply to calm his nerves and looked around. There were less people now and more of those things...Kageyama cringed. He had to get out of there before they noticed him. He glanced down at the twin to see her twitching on the floor making raspy sounds. It wouldn’t take long before she got back up. Without a second glance back, Kageyama turned tail and ran for his life.

He could see Mattsukawa ahead breaking some glass. Being around familiar faces would do him some good, he figured. They could be useful. When he reached Matsukawa, he noticed that what he was grabbing was an emergency fire extinguisher in case of a fire. “Fu-” Matsukawa flinched at the sight of him. “Oh...hey baby crow.” He relaxed, eyeing Kageyama slowly. 

Kageyama took a quick glance down at himself wondering why Matsukawa was looking at him as if he was going to turn any moment. “Ah…” He twisted his lips in disgust at the sight of blood and pieces of gore clinging to his clothes. 

“Looks like you had a bit of a struggle, huh?” Hanamaki commented, appearing out of nowhere with a small axe in hand. He whistled appreciatively at the metal bat. “Looks like you found a good weapon too. That should definitely help when we head out to the streets.” Hanamaki glanced over at Matsukawa’s weapon and nearly burst into laughter. Matsukawa rolled his eyes with a smirk on his face, “Yeah yeah. Laugh it up. This is totally a good weapon to smash some heads in.” 

Kageyama glanced around as they bickered. He didn’t think this situation was a joking matter. Not with so many people screaming and dying behind them, turning into those...monsters. Right now, they should be heading out into safer territory, so they can actually survive. With a scowl, Kageyama turned his attention back to the two idiots in front of him. “If you guys are done, we need to head out.” The two boys paused to stare at him before glancing at each other. With an anxious shrug, Hanamaki nodded. “I guess. But where are we going to go? I lost contact with my parents a while ago...I doubt my place will be safe.” 

Matsukawa nodded. “Same here…” Kageyama stared at the two before glancing down. He didn’t really bother to check if his parents were fine, and he hasn't received any messages from Miwa either. Kageyama shuddered at the thought of them turning into whatever those monsters were now, but he knew one thing. His home would be empty when he got there. Kageyama looked back up to Hanamaki and Matsukawa. “My place is safe. No one should be home right now.” He watched as the two thought it over. He could see they weren’t sure if they should go with him, so he grunted. “Do you have a better idea?” He sounded a lot colder than he meant to, but he felt a bit defensive. It’s not like he needed them to go with him. Kageyama was perfectly fine with going home alone. It would probably even be safer for him to head home alone since he could sneak around more quietly without worrying about anyone else.

“No, we’ll go.” Hanamaki spoke, sliding his axe onto his shoulder. “Lead the way.” The two stepped out of his way, so Kageyama could lead them to his house. Kageyama gripped his bat tighter as he headed out of the station, Hanamaki and Matsukawa following him. They were surprisingly silent for once. Kageyama didn’t think they could be quiet based on how they were acting all the time before this madness but he won’t question it. 

Kageyama led them past a few streets in silence. Normally the quiet didn’t bother him since he was used to it, but the streets were completely barren. Cars were flipped over or smoking as if they had been on fire at one point. There were splatters of blood on the floor along with papers, clothes, and bags lying scattered around. Windows were shattered in some houses while others had doors barely hanging onto the frames. It was so different from what Kageyama was used to and it scared him. 

It felt like his footsteps were echoing in the silence as they carefully walked down another block. Was he breathing too loud? Could anyone else hear how loud his heart was beating against his ribcage? Kageyama glanced down the street corner, pausing at the sight of something moving. Hanamaki and Matsukawa stopped behind him, raising their weapons. Kageyama squinted to get a better look at the group of people? No, they were moving too weirdly. Those were definitely the infected. There were at least 4, no 5 in total. One of them groaned, body twitching in their direction. Kageyama flinched back with a sharp inhale. “There’s five of them up ahead.” Kageyama whispered. 

Matsukawa swore under his breath. “Is that the only way to your place?” Hanamaki asked, biting on his thumb nail. Kageyama leaned against the wall staring up at the darkening sky above him. He tried to think of any short cuts but kept coming up blank. This was the only way home. With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes and shook his head. Matsukawa ruffled Kageyama’s hair with a grin, “Don’t worry about it, baby crow. We can sneak past them like the cool ninjas we are. We’ll use the cars as our hiding points.”

Kageyama glared at Matsukawa as he flattened his hair back out, pursing his lips in thought. It could work. There were about 6 cars around. There were two close to his group that they could run to, but the problem was getting to the rest without the infected group noticing. There was a bit of distance between the second car and the third van. Two of the infected were too close for them to just walk without getting spotted. Kageyama glanced around slowly while thinking of anything that could help them not get spotted. What could help? Was there no other way than to just kill them off?  _ Could  _ they kill them off?

Back at the station, he remembered how fast they went down. Rika’s head was smashed in just from a kick from the infected twin. But that didn’t work for him when he hit the twins head with the bat. Does that mean they’re  _ stronger  _ than regular people? Kageyama considered himself pretty strong since he needed his strength for volleyball. If he couldn’t smash the infected twin’s head in with one hit and keep her down, then that would mean those infected have more strength than regular people.

Kageyama rubbed his head with a silent groan. All this thinking was making his head hurt. Kageyama glanced over the corner again to observe the infected, but blinked when he spotted something else instead. There were two boys in Karasuno uniform quietly crouching near a flipped handa. He could see them gesturing, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. He wasn’t close enough either. 

It seems that they had a similar idea to Kageyama, but got stuck at the car they were currently in with the gap between the van. In normal situations, it would have taken less than 5 minutes to close the space. But in these circumstances, any wrong move would attract the two infected. They don’t seem to have sight problems if he recalled Rika watching him from before...Kageyama knelt to the floor. If he had to guess, the senses of the infected seem more enhanced. Do they even have a weakness?

A sharp inhale from behind him brought him out of his thoughts. Kageyama turned sharply to glare at whoever made the noise, but he paused when he noticed how stiff Hanamaki and Matsukawa were. “We might not have much time to plan, baby crow.” Hanamaki whispered, gesturing to a group of infected a couple meters away from them. Some of the infected were the ones from the station, but he noticed a heavy man and three others who weren’t from the station. Kageyama felt as if the floor caved from beneath him. That man was the guy from the video Hinata sent. And the three others?

They were Nishinoya, Tanaka and Narita.


	3. Chapter 3

_ They were Nishinoya, Tanaka and Narita. _

If he ignored the dark veins and bloodshot eyes, Kageyama could have pretended that they were perfectly normal. No, that’s not really true. Nishinoya’s hair barely spiked in the usual style that he wore, and all three of them were covered in blood. Tanaka had a large chunk of skin ripped out of his forearm with some muscle barely clinging around the edges, while Narita had gashes on his cheek. Scratches? Could people get infected from scratches too? Kageyama shuddered.

The group hadn’t noticed them hiding yet, so that meant it was time for them to go. Kageyama gestured for Matsukawa and Hanamaki to follow him as he led them towards the first car near them. Kageyama could still see the two boys from before, but he decided it would be better to avoid their attention. Kageyama wasn’t stupid enough to realize that a larger group would be harder to keep safe and out of the eyesight from the infected. He wasn’t nice enough either. All Kageyama wanted to do was go home where it was safe and wait for the professionals to take care of the infected. If he had two tagalongs? He didn’t care so long as they didn’t get in his way or put him in danger. 

Kageyama’s group made it to their first and second destination perfectly. Now the only thing in their way was the infected in between the gap between the car they were hiding in now and the van ahead of them. Kageyama bit his lip as he weighed his options. Kageyama knew he wasn’t the brightest kid. He barely passed any of his classes growing up, barely hanging on by a thread. The only reason he even had a passable grade was because he wouldn’t be able to play volleyball if he failed his classes. And the only thing he could consider himself good at was volleyball. This situation right now? He wasn’t sure if he could survive, but he knew one thing for sure.

Kageyama always trusted in his gut instinct.

Something told him to wait a little longer to what might happen so that is exactly what he did. Kageyama didn’t waste his time explaining his ideas to Matsukawa or Hanamaki, and they didn’t bother leaving their spots behind him even if he could tell they were nervous of what might happen.

Kageyama focused his attention to the two karasuno students behind the van. One of them, a brunette was gesturing towards the infected almost aggressively. The brunette had what seemed to be a...Kageyama shook his head flabbergasted. What the hell was a ruler going to do? If his bat didn’t keep Rika down permanently then there was no way that a ruler was even going to knock them down.

Kageyama could barely make out the second Karasuno boys’ horrified expression before the brunette ran towards the infected with a cry. The infected twisted in the boys direction, screeching as they went to swarm the boy.

Surprisingly, the Brunette managed to dodge all their attacks while dashing away from them. He headed in the direction Kageyama’s group was earlier before they moved to the car, and Kageyama winced. That wasn’t going to end pretty. 

The Second Karasuno boy trailed behind the infected, worry and fear evident on his face as he chased after his friend. When they all rounded the corner, Kageyama heard the inhuman screeches begin. It made him shudder. He didn’t waste any time dashing away from the sound of screams, 2 sets of footsteps following right behind him.

The rest of their journey was quiet and uneventful. Kageyama was relieved. He wasn’t sure what he would have done if he had to face another set of infected blocking their way from his home. 

Silently, Kageyama unlocked his house door and stepped inside. Everything seemed to be just how he had left it that morning. Clean, tidy and empty. Kageyama let Matsukawa and Hanamaki enter before locking the door. 

Hanamaki walked towards the couch and collapsed with a groan. His long arms sprawled above him while he stretched out across the entire couch. “That was the most terrifying shit I have ever been in, and I have been in some scary shit before.” Hanamaki flailed an arm as if that could prove just how scary the situation was. 

Matsukawa plopped himself right on top of Hanamaki, ignoring the quiet “oof-” he made as he did so. “That is the biggest understatement of the year, man. I thought I was going to shit my pants.” They both chuckled at each other, while Matsukawa pushed Hanamaki off the couch. Hanamaki yelped before gasping in exaggerated offence.

Kageyama eyed the two warily, unsure how they could be fooling around at a time like this. As the two moved to playfully wrestling each other for the couch, Kageyama decided now would be a great time to take a very much needed shower. He was still covered in dried blood, and he smelled disgusting. Kageyama couldn’t even name half of the things that stuck to his clothes.

He moved towards his room to quietly grab some clothes before heading to his bathroom. Kageyama carefully stripped of his clothes, cringing at the dry crunch as his clothes peeled off from his skin. Brown and dark red flakes fluttered to the floor as the dried blood fell off of his clothes. He felt disgusting. 

Kageyama stepped into his shower, letting hot water wash over him. He bowed his head so the water could soak into his hair, watching as the water turned red as it went down the drain. He took a shuddering breath, choking on a breath as his breathing hitched. Now that he was home everything was finally settling on like a thick blanket. 

He almost died today. Three of his friends-people he cared about and looked up to already died today. Probably even thousands of people have died and turned into some carnivorous monsters. Kageyama leaned against the cool tiles of his shower, sliding down to the floor of his tub. The scorching water already numbed his red skin. With a shudder, Kageyama began scrubbing all the flakes of blood away aggressively. He had to erase the evidence of today. 

If he could wash the blood away and head to his room to watch some volleyball videos, then maybe he could pretend that none of this ever even happened? It was just all a nightmare, and he was going to wake up before he even knew it. 

Kageyama felt his throat tighten, his eyes burning. He wasn’t delusional. Kageyama couldn’t pretend that nothing happened. It was all scorched into his memory to replay every night as he slept. The world as he knew was over. And the worst part?

Kageyama wouldn’t be able to play volleyball with his team. The only ones that didn’t turn their backs on him even when he lost his temper sometimes when they didn’t do something the way he wanted them to. Sugawara and Daichi were patient with him. None of them ever ignored or ridiculed him for his personality. They were his friends. 

And they were probably already dead or dying while he sat in his shower trying to not break down. How selfish could he be? Kageyama pressed his knees against his chest, resting his head against his knees.

What was he supposed to do? What could he do? Kageyama was never really good at showing that he cared. Let alone allowing anyone to come pass his defences so he could depend on them. After what happened in middle school, Kageyama had decided that he wouldn’t depend on anyone. He could do things himself, and he would learn to be the best at volleyball so that even the most useless people on his future team wouldn’t get in his way.

Instead, he loosened up and began to care-admittedly not in an obvious manner, but he still cared for his team more than he wanted to. All the thoughts, the stress, the concern for his team clouded his mind. He felt as if he was beginning to spiral out of control. Kageyama knew this feeling. A panic attack. He experienced something like this once before when he lost his grandfather as a child and a second time near the end of middle school.

It felt like a snake wrapped around his lungs and suddenly he couldn’t  _ breathe.  _

Kageyama flinched when he heard a vibration echo outside of his shower. He slowly lifted his head, uncaring of how water and steam blurred his vision. For a moment, he could inhale air, and he nearly choked on the water that entered his mouth. Kageyama could see a flash of light emitted from his jeans piled on the floor. Realization hit him when he remembered that he had been talking to Hinata and Sugawara before all this mess went down.

Kageyama jumped out of his shower, slipping on the tiled floor as he reached to pluck his phone out of his jeans. 

7 new messages from: Hinata Boke

3 miss calls from: Hinata Boke

10 new messages from: Sugawara

20 miss calls from: Sugawara

3 new messages from: Miwa

2 missed calls from: Mom

1 new voice mail from: Mom

Kageyama stared at his phone. How did he not notice all this while outside? The vibrations should have caught his attention. Well, Kageyama pursed his lips, there  _ were  _ other important things distracting him.

Like not trying to die.

Kageyama opened the messages from Hinata first with a sigh, rubbing his eyes before looking over them.

From Hinata Boke:

H: Hey!

H: its pretty bad outside now

H: I can’t reach anyone anymore…

H: mum won’t let me leave the house and natsu is pretty scared

H: I’m kinda scared too

H: BUT!!

H: Dad just came back. He’s acting a little weird tho but thats fine as long as he made it back. I gotta stay strong so natsu doesn’t worry anymore. You better stay strong too!!! 

Kageyama pressed his phone against his forehead with a scoff. That boke. It felt like a weight was lifted off his chest knowing that at least Hinata was doing okay. Hopefully the others are doing okay too. Kageyama pushed himself to his feet while scrolling through Sugawara’s messages. He needed to get changed.

New messages from Sugawara:

S: Did u make it home okay?

S: remember to avoid big groups

S: I think they’re sensitive to sound

S: One of those things heard us talking and they started trying to break in

S: But were okay now

S: Theres a new base here in miyagi

S: We managed to make here safe and sound but be careful if you want to come down here

S: Theyre not accepting anyone with suspicious injuries

S: …

S: please reply when you get the chance. I’m worried!

Kageyama sent out a quick reply. 

To Sugawara:

K: Im okay

Kageyama rubbed his towel against his face, leaving the bathroom. He could hear a faint muffled sound coming from the living room, but other than that he could pretend like today was like any other day. Kageyama knew he couldn’t really fool himself, though. He knew that all those gruesome trauma was scarred into his mind now, and he couldn’t escape. He’ll have to deal with it like everything else he experienced in his life. Ignore and bottle it up.

Kageyama plopped himself onto his bed after dressing into some sweats and a t-shirt. He let out a shaky breath as he moved onto the last messages.

From Miwa:

M: I met some of ur friends.

M: One of them was asking about u

M: I think his name was Akaashi? Text me when you can, so I know that ur ok.

One new voice mail from mom:

“The hospital seems pretty loud today…”  Kageyama could distant shouts and screams. It sounded like a fight broke loose in the hospital.  “...I don’t really know what’s going on but you’re sister is coming to pick me up soon-”  Kageyama flinched in surprise when he heard a bang on what he assumed was his mother’s door before a loud crash was heard. He could hear muffled snarls of those infected, but they sound as if they are leaving her room?

“There’s a lot of sick people today… They aren’t bothering me or the other patients, but they’re acting very aggressive towards the nurses. I-”  His mother was interrupted by a male shouting orders. “ Everyone needs to evacuate. Soldiers are here to escort the patients- ma’am, we need to go!”  There was the sound of shuffling around and more shouts in the distance. “ I have to go now, Tobi. I love you and be safe-”  The line broke off into static after a few gunshots were heard.

Kageyama frowned in thought. His mother was fine. She’s fine. Those monsters didn’t touch her. She’s safe. Kageyama let out a sharp exhale and thought over her words. Those infected didn’t touch any of the patients in the terminal side of the hospital. Does that mean that they don’t eat sick people? How sick do you have to be to avoid them? What does that mean? Kageyama moved his arm to cover his eyes, sighing again. He’ll have to think about it later. For now, he just wants to get some rest. Today was a long and hard one, and it weighed heavy in his mind. There was just too much to process.

Kageyama fell asleep in seconds. The sound of screams and cries for help following him into his sleep.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone catch on to the similarities to the WWZ zombies and mine? No? Okay...
> 
> I’m aiming for these zombies to have some form of intelligence without coming off as smart. They’re still zombies after all. No one would survive if these things were actually smart enough to hunt humans, and eat them all.
> 
> This is all connected, and you guys will understand why later when I upload the other parts of the series. If you guys don’t get tired of it before then, then thanks lol 
> 
> I’m still working on my writing style so if you see any shifts in writing, then that’s me experimenting on different writing techniques. I made sure to make them as subtle as possible since I know it might annoy some people otherwise. Probably. Anyway, comment your thoughts!
> 
> How was it? Any expectations for future chapters? Anything you want to see happen? Let me know! :)


	4. Chapter 4

When Kageyama opened his eyes, he stared at the ceiling blankly. His mind was pleasantly fogged with none of the nightmares of what happened hours prior to now. If he had to guess, it was around 3 in morning based on how dark it was outside. He had another two hours before he could head over Karasuno for practice. 

Kageyama let his eyes shut as he groggily made his way to the bathroom to do his daily routine, ways of improving his volleyball skills filling his mind as his body mechanically went with the motion of brushing his teeth. 

Kageyama scratched his chest as he shuffled his way down to the kitchen, a loud yawn bringing tears to his eyes as he grabbed a bowl to pour some cereal. Today was a quiet day. It wasn’t completely unusual, but he would normally hear at least the chirps of birds around this hour. He dismissed the eerie feeling that crept over his groggy mind. There was nothing to worry about. Plus, he had bought new gear for practice today. His old knee pads and shoes had taken enough abuse from long hours of practice.

Kageyama paused his train of thought when he heard shuffling from the living room. Had Hinata come over last night? He didn’t recall having any sleep overs. Kageyama stared blankly as a familiar pinkette entered the kitchen, mouth open in a yawn as he ruffled his already messy hair. 

“Yo,” Makki greeted. “You heard the news about the base nearby? Some friends of mine are already there.” Makki shuffled his way towards the fridge while Matsune dragged his feet into the kitchen, heading over to the coffee maker with a grumpy pout on his lips.

Kageyama blinked while his mind stalled. Base? Why does that sound familiar. He glared at his cereal, lips pursing in thought. It was like a jolt of pain shot through his head before everything came rushing back. The train. The girls. The infection. Then chaos. 

“Ugh…” Kageyama pushed his cereal away, suddenly losing his appetite. 

“Woah, there's nothing but milk in here!” Hanamaki exclaimed with disbelief. He looked over to Kageyama with a bewildered expression, “What do you even do with all this milk?” 

Kageyama frowned at him. “I drink it?” What else would he do with milk? That was a dumb question to ask.

Matsukawa snorted, plopping down next to Kageyama with a steaming cup of coffee in hand. Seems like he wasn’t much of a morning person without coffee.

“Anyway. We need to see what we can bring to the base. Water, food and some clothes too would be good” Matsukawa casually mentioned. It sounded like he was just talking about the weather considering how heavy a topic this was. Kageyama could admire that, he guessed.

“My grandfather had a thing for stocking up for emergencies. I have bottled water, non perishable foods, emergency bags with some camping gear, and some first aid kits.” Kageyama muttered. He wasn’t too excited to go back out there. He’d be fine with just staying in his home until all this was blown over. It wouldn’t exactly be safe, he’d admit, but it would be better than going outside. Who knows what might be lingering out there ready to jump him at any given second? Not to mention how long it would take to even get to the base in the first place. It's not as close as he’d like. It could take a day or more just to reach it, and that's not even including if they run into any trouble.

Hanamaki whistled. “Not bad. We would be set for a couple days.” He settled into a seat across from Matsukawa, strawberry protein bar in hand. “When do we leave?” He asked. He sounded a bit reluctant. Kageyama didn’t blame him.

Matsukawa drummed his fingers against the table as he thought it over. “Today. We shouldn’t linger too long. Who knows how many more of those things will start showing up if we stay any longer.” Hanamaki sighed as if he knew that was going to happen.

“Okay. Let’s prepare everything for now. We can leave around 9, that way it’s not too dark when we head out.”

Everyone nodded. Kageyama wasn’t looking forward to 3 hours from now.

* * *

Kageyama hated his life.

He panted as he ducked under a disjointed door, hanging a little too out of its hinges. He hoped his two companions weren’t dumb enough to run into it. He was used to running miles to improve his stamina back when things were still normal, but he didn’t know how long he’s been running now. His legs felt like they were burning and numb at the same time, and his lungs felt as if they were about ready to give out from the overexertion. 

Why was he running like his life depended on it?

Simple.

The trio was heading on their way to the base, which was going smoothly albeit very slow. No surprise considering it was pretty far. It probably would take them an entire day or even night if they were unlucky enough. They were already 4 hours in and they were tired. Their muscles ache from yesterday's event, they were thirsty (they had the water but they agreed to save as much as possible), their feet were beginning to throb- well, you get the idea. They were tired. And the best part?

There was a whole mob of those creatures right in front of them.

The mob was bigger than the one they faced last time and with nowhere to hide or a distraction. They were most likely screwed. At least Kageyama thought so. They stayed frozen in place, watching the mob with trepidation. But even as a few looked their way, there was no reaction. Kageyama frowned as he squinted. He noticed something new about the creature's appearance. They still looked grotesque with decaying skin, bloody eyes and nose, and black veins. But it was more in the eyes than anything. There was a milky film over them. Almost as if they were blind.

Kageyama had an aunt who was blind. The last time he had met her, he was 12. He used to have nightmares of how she always shot her head towards his direction when he made a single noise. She used to love terrorizing him much to his mother’s amusement. Something about sensitive hearing and using it to find her dearest nephew, so she could pinch his adorable cheeks.

He hadn’t seen her in a long time, but he learned to appreciate those moments. If there was one thing he was proud of, it was his light steps that he developed from trying to sneak past his scary aunt.

Kageyama waved his hand to get the other two’s attention. When he did, he pressed his finger against his lip in shushing motion while pointing at the infected. He mimed being blind by waving a hand in front of his face while shaking his head. Realization hit the two as they glanced back over to the mob. They square their shoulders, nodding.

Kageyama nodded back before sneaking his way to the right. There was a store there that had an exit in the back. It was a good short cut towards his destination. He knew this because of his neighbor (his neighbor liked to talk. He had the personality of 20 Hinata’s combined. A nightmare). He was never good with direction, so he hoped he didn’t screw this up.

It took a few minutes for them to silently make it towards the store. Kageyama ducked under the door, avoiding the glass on the floor with practiced ease. The other two followed much more cautiously. He gestured towards the back before heading over. The store was eerily silent with magazines and other items thrown all over the place. The shelfs were bare with the exception of a few miscellaneous items which pointed closer to a raid rather than a bloody attack.

Kageyama breathed slowly, glancing around until he found the back door. It was behind the cashier desk and closer to the stockroom. Also rather empty of supplies. The door was intact which meant no one had been there. He tried the handle slowly. Locked. He clicked his tongue. Of course it was. It would match up to their unlucky day perfectly.

“We need to find the keys,” He whispered. He heard sighs behind them, before they silently spread out to look.

Kageyama wasn’t sure how long it had been. A few minutes. Maybe an hour or two. But he managed to find a key of rings in a drawer by the cashier desk. Kageyama smirked in triumph before glancing out the window. Not only did the sky look darker but the mob was a lot closer than before too.

Kageyama shuffled to the back room where he found Matsukawa and Hanamaki looking through boxes. “I found them,” he raised the keys. The two gave him excited grins. They needed to get out of here.

A few minutes passed in silence as Kageyama tried different keys. He could feel his frustration growing as the minutes ticked by as each key he tried failed to unlike the door. Why does such a small store need so many keys?! What were they even for??? There were only two damn doors in this place for crying out loud!

20 minutes had passed by the time Kageyama found the right key. It was the silver one with a swirly key case wrapped around it. Also the last one. Kageyama felt like throwing the keys in frustration with how much time he wasted when they could have already been at the base by now. With a heavy sigh, he unlocked the door with a near silent click.

Kageyama cringed at the squeaky sound the door made as he opened it. It wasn’t loud enough to echo in the silence, but he didn’t like how loud it was anyway. He could hear the infected groan outside and froze. Did they notice?

Kageyama held his breath as he waited. He listened intently in case they came running in but when nothing happened, he relaxed and breathed out a sigh of relief.

He stepped outside cautiously in case there was an infected near him. When the coast was clear, he nodded to Matsukawa. He and Hanamaki easily followed him, but it didn’t take long for their safe journey to fall apart. 

Hanamaki didn’t pay attention as he exited the store. Carelessly letting the door close behind him with a bam. The trio stood frozen as they looked at each other in horror. The sound was loud. It echoed in the alley they were in and indoors where the mob could hear it loud and clear.

There was a snarl and several footsteps could be heard banging against the concrete. There was more glass breaking as the infected stumbled over each other to push into the store. Kageyama gave Hanamaki a dirty look before he turned and dashed down the street, the other two hot on his tail.

Which leads them to their current situation.

They had managed to lose half of the mob but it didn’t make him feel much better when there was still so much more to deal with.

Kageyama heard a cry behind him and skidded to a stop as he whipped his head behind him. They managed to make some distance between them and the mob of infected, but they were gaining the distance fast. Kageyama panted as he glanced around to figure out where the cry came from before realizing it came from Hanamaki.

He was on the ground gripping his leg, fat tears trailing down his cheeks as he bit his lip to keep any noise in. Matsukawa was looking over Hanamaki, a panicked look on his face as he hovered over his best friend helplessly. Kageyama moved quickly, glancing back up at the mob. They had 10 minutes before they were surrounded.

Hanamaki’s ankle was twisted at an odd angle. It made Kageyama’s stomach churn at the appearance. He wasn’t a stranger to injuries, having a few himself, but it always grossed him out when he had to look at it from an outside perspective. Feet facing the opposite direction than it should be just looked  _ wrong.  _

“Matsukawa, carry him. We're not too far from the base. We can make it.” He wasn’t sure if that last part was to reassure himself or for them.

They had 5 minutes left.

Matsukawa picked up Hanamaki, cringing at the loud pained sob that left his friend's mouth. He couldn’t afford to be gentle. They moved fast, uncaring of their fatigue and burning muscles. Kageyama almost felt light with how numb his legs got from the hours of running.

The sun was beginning to set. They didn’t have long before nightfall hit them. If that happened, then they would be running blind. It was a suicide run to begin with.

2 minutes.

Even with them running again, the mob was getting closer. The trio was too tired. They were slowing down.

1 minute.

Kageyama closed his eyes tightly praying to whatever god existed to just please let them live. He had too many plans for his life. He had to become the best volleyball player to exist. He had to prove to Oikawa that he was worth it. He had to see his sister and mother again. He had to see his team. 

35 seconds.

Kageyama tripped, stumbling to the ground. His knees and hands scrapped against the ground, glass digging into his flesh painfully. Matsukawa tripped over him, landing against his face harshly. Blood dribbled down his nose.

10 seconds.

Kageyama could hear the snarls and cries of the infected. They were close. It will be over soon. Kageyama could feel his eyes burn. He knew he shouldn’t have left his home. What was the point? All this sneaking around pretending that he knew what he was doing, running for his life and for what? Just so he could die at the end? It wasn’t even the end of his second day in this damn apocalypse, and he was already going to die.

2 seconds.

He didn’t want to die. 

1 second.

_ I don’t want to die here. _

Kageyama flinched as a loud bang echoed around them. He could still hear the snarls of the infected, but now there was shouting too.

Was that...people?

Gun shots could be heard ringing out around them. Kageyama could see people dressed in the japanese military gear running past them, holding guns and shooting down the infected. Orders were being shouted over the noise of the guns. The infected were dropping like flies.

But he could see more swarming in. The noise attracted more of them.

Something gripped his arm and pulled him up. Kageyama flailed, fist flying in the direction of whatever grabbed him. He was not dying today. He refused to turn into those monsters.

“Stop! I’m here to help. We gotta get out of here before we’re surrounded!” It was a male voice, softer than a soldier and a bit nasally. Kageyama looked up with wild eyes to see a man with ash blonde hair. He had a weird kind of not tan but tan skin, freckles spreading against his cheeks. Kageyama blinked at the weird shade of pink the man's eyes were, almost glowing red from the sunset reflected in them. The man was wearing some lab coat over his military uniform, a red cross badge wrapped around his right arm. A doctor? 

Kageyama let the (admittedly pretty) man lead him towards a truck (when did that get there?). There were other survivors already there. Blankets were being distributed to them by other medics, some soldiers looking them over for injuries that could risk them becoming an infected.

Kageyama sagged into the seat offered to him. The exhaustion was settling heavy in his bones. He felt like passing out.

There was a deep chuckle next to him and a warmth that he hadn’t noticed while he was stuck in his thoughts. 

“Long day?” A familiar voice asked. Kageyama blinked owlishly, slowly turning his head to look at the man sitting next to him. 

“...Iwaizumi-san?” Iwaizumi smiled, nodding. There was a wariness in his body that he never had before, a heavy almost haunted look in his eyes staring Kageyama down intently. If Kageyama looked a little more closely, he could almost see relief there too.

“Good to know at least some people managed to survive this shit show.” Iwaizumi muttered. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes as he did. Kageyama wasn’t sure if he was trying to pretend to be relaxed to make him feel better or not, but he could tell by the way Iwaizumi’s body still looked too stiff that he wasn’t anywhere near relaxed.

Kageyama blinked before glancing around. There was someone missing. Who? A frown sat heavy on his lips as he glanced around more carefully. He looked passed Iwaizumi before pausing. The was a brown tuff of familiar hair against Iwaizumi’s shoulder. A face he recognized as well.

Right beside Iwaizumi was none other than Oikawa Tooru.


End file.
